


An Unexpected Run-In

by ellisly



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Cute, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Future Fic, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Married Couple, Married Life, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:49:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29712606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellisly/pseuds/ellisly
Summary: Jack and Bitty are in Madison for a quiet vacation when the couple run into one of Bitty's old classmates. Bitty is pleasantly surprised.
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, OFC/OFC
Comments: 3
Kudos: 110





	An Unexpected Run-In

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently I only write domestic fluff now. Discussions of coming out and being queer in a small town. Enjoy!

It seems that even at 6 in the morning, Jack can’t escape the hell that is a Georgia summer. Before he and Bitty can even set off on their daily run, they’re drenched in sweat. It may not be more than 80 degrees out but the pervasive humidity already has Jack feeling as though he must work extra hard for each breath. 

Bitty, other than being obviously half asleep still, doesn’t seem to be fairing as bad. Jack guesses spending 20 some odd years in this hellish environment will do that for you. He wonders for a moment if he’d ever reach that equilibrium. If he had any say in it, he definitely would.

The pair sets off on a leisurely pace, beginning their quick 3 mile loop around Bitty’s family’s neighborhood. Luckily for Jack, most of the path was shaded by the looming white oaks, providing a sweet reprieve from the blazing sun at least. 

As they jogged side by side, Bitty seemed to come more into the present, looking up to Jack with a quick smile.

“Mornin’ honey,” he drawled, his accent starting to drip back in despite it only being their first morning in Madison.

“Morning, Bits” 

These early morning runs were an off-season routine for the couple, a way for Jack and Bitty to start the morning together, just another waking hour to spend with each other. And for as much protesting Bitty might put up, Jack knew he didn’t mind it too much. Afterall, he was quite a fan of the short-shorts Jack wore especially for their jogs.

Bitty’s house was one of many cozy homes along the quiet street, houses of dull yellows and warm brick with deep set yards. It was exactly what Jack had imagined Bitty’s hometown to look like all those years before as he had boarded the plane for his first 4th of July celebration- just welcoming as Bitty had always been. Of course, the occasional confederate flag or Trump sign was a persistent reminder of the reason behind Bitty’s initial departure from the South. 

For nearly 2 miles, Jack and Bitty ran in content silence, nothing but the pair and empty stretches of sidewalk. As they turned the bend on the last stretch of the loop before reaching the Bittle’s however, a figure dressed head-to-toe in bubblegum pink came into view. Jack thinks nothing of it as they continue forward, the woman in pink coming into better focus, but next to him, he hears Bitty let out a soft curse before slowing to a stop.

“Oh my stars! Is that you, Eric Bittle?” The woman calls, her blonde ponytail swinging behind her as she walks towards them. The woman is young with a smile reminiscent of a beauty queen, bleached and blinding, with stormy grey eyes. 

“My lord, is that you Samantha?” Bitty replies, the edges of his voice tinged with an anxious tone. Jack watches curiously as the two exchange a quick hug.  
Samantha is still beaming as they parted. “You bet! Well, what’re you doing in town? Last I heard you’d up and moved to Delaware or somethin’!”

Bitty crosses his arms across his chest, giving a tense grin. “Rhode Island, actually. But anyhow we’re just back visiting Mama and Coach. Oh-” Bitty turns to Jack, resting a hand lightly on his arm. “Jack, this is Samantha Greene, we went to high school together.”

The perky blonde shifts her attention towards him as if just recognizing his presence, sticking her hand out for a greeting. “Hi there, Jack! You one of Eric’s friends from up North?”

“Euh-”

“Jack’s actually my husband. We met up at Samwell where we played hockey together.” Bitty says without hesitation.

Despite being together for six years and married for four, Jack and Bitty still have moments of pause when it comes to introducing themselves as a couple. Especially when it comes to trips down to Georgia. One quick google search of either Eric Bittle or Jack Zimmermann is sure to reflect their marriage status to one another and it would surprise them both if half of America hadn’t seen the post-cup kiss, but the worry still remained that a stranger may react poorly, violently even, to the information. Bitty’s calm, even keeled response however causes Jack to smile a bit and grasp Bitty’s hand in his own, a burst of pride blooming in his chest. 

Samantha seems to have no visible negative reaction. In fact, if it was even possible, her smile seems to just get brighter. “Oh that’s right! I remember your Mama talking all about her sweet son-in-law a couple weeks ago at church. Congrats you two!”

All the tension Bitty had been holding since he spied Samantha seems to melt away. He smiles back at her, a real one this time, and gives Jack’s hand a quick squeeze.

“We’ll be going on seven years together next May.” Jack says, way too happy for having just been running at 6 in the morning.

“Well, ain’t that the sweetest! Let me tell you, I’ve read your cookbook back to front nearly, Eric. I use your blueberry pie recipe all the time. What do you do Jack? 

“Oh gosh, I’m glad you liked it! Jack here plays professional hockey for the Falconers, he’ll be the captain next year.”

“Bits,” Jack whines, “We don’t know that yet.”

“A professional athlete- a hockey player with all his teeth even? You sure know how to pick a keeper!” Samantha laughs, a light warm thing that seems contagious.

All the tension Bitty had been seeming to hold in his posture almost visibly washed away with the reassurance that Samantha was just another friendly threat. The group continues to chatter about on the shaded sidewalk, Jack and Bitty exchanging light hearted chirps while Samantha fills them in on the going-abouts of Madison’s residents. Jack laughs particularly hard about the story concerning some cow tippings gone awry out at Mr. Hansen’s farm. By the time they know it, nearly half an hour has passed.

“Well I’m really glad I ran into you y’all!” Samantha sighs happily, “But if I’m going to make it to work in time, I ought to head on back.”

“I’m glad we got to catch up too.” Bitty smiles.

“Y’know if y’all are still in town the next couple of days, you two should come have dinner with me and my girlfriend some night!”

Bitty stalls for a moment, his eyebrows quirking up just a bit. “Your girlfriend?”

Jack elbows Bitty gently, shooting him a quick look. Bitty looks up at him, a puzzled look on his face, before turning back to Samantha. 

She smiles shyly, directing her gaze to the ground and blushing a shade-off from her bright shirt. “Yeah, we met at UGA sophomore year, been together ever since.”

Bitty seems to snap out his surprise, reaching forward to grab the blonde’s hand. “Oh my lord, congrats, honey! Gosh, how rude of me to assume, you’d think I’d know better by now. I was- I was just surprised you know, which is kind of awful, really. I haven’t, I mean-”

“It’s okay, Eric, don’t worry about it.” Samantha chuckles, looking up once again at Bitty, her smile bright as ever. “I know what you mean.”

“We’re in town for a week in a half and we’d love to come over,” Jack interjects, sliding an arm around his husband’s waist as he drops Samantha’s hand. 

“Perfect, let me just get your number Eric and we can plan somethin’ out.”

…

Later that night, under the covers in Bitty’s childhood bedroom, Jack holds his husband against his chest, tracing the freckles across his back like he’s done a thousand times before. Long gone are the days of having to sneak across the hall to finally be able to fall asleep in each other’s arms but still, Jack gets a little thrill in the idea of getting to spend a quiet moment together in Bitty’s old room.

Bitty lets out a long sigh, shifting to rest his chin on top of his hand, peering up at Jack from his spot on his chest. “I still can’t believe it.”

“Believe what? That Georgia seems to get hotter every summer?” Jack teases.

Bitty smirks, “I mean I can’t believe I wasn’t the only one.”

He doesn’t explicitly say it, but Jack immediately knows what he’s referencing. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I know I shouldn’t be surprised, especially after going to Samwell, but I just always felt like Madison was different. I just always thought I was the only gay kid at school, that I was alone.”

Jack is quiet, allowing Bitty to just let it all out. He moves his hand off of Eric’s back and cups his husband’s cheek, thumbing across it ever so gently. Bitty leans into it, closing his eyes.

“I can’t help but think that if I had just come out sooner or really been myself in high school that maybe other people would have been able to do that to.”

“Bits, lapin,” Jack says, furrowing his brows as he sweeps the blond tufts of hair off of Eric’s forehead. “You can’t think like that. You had to go on your own journey, move out of Georgia and find your people, all that stuff to be ready. I had to literally hit rock bottom before I could finally admit to myself that Kent hadn’t just been a one time thing and come to terms with what that meant. Everybody's path to coming out is uniquely their own.”

Bitty looks back at Jack with what can only be described as pure adoration. Jack thanks the universe every day that he gets to see that expression cross his husband’s beautiful, freckled face. “How is it that everyone thinks you’re a hockey robot? You always seem to know exactly what to say.”

“Only to you Bits, mon amour.”

“Mr. Zimmermann, you romantic.” Bitty chuckles softly, stretching forward to capture Jack’s lips in a sweet kiss. Jack smiles into it, perfectly pleased with the man encircled in his embrace.

Bitty breaks them apart, rolling onto his side. Jack turns to face him, creating a pair of parentheses on Bitty’s barely-too-small bed.

“I’ll admit, if I had to guess who from school could have been queer by some means, Samantha Greene definetly would have been last on the list. She was 2nd runner up for Ms. Teen Georgia!”

Jack pokes him on the side, “Hey, you of all people should have learned your lesson about assuming sexualities. I know you had to listen to Shitty’s lectures and according to Papa, I had been flirting with you for months before I finally made a move.”

“I know, I know, an’ trust me, I was more than happily surprised when you reciprocated my feelings. For me I think it was just a little different y’know? Even before I was sure of liking boys, I did all the stereotypical ‘gay stuff’- figure skating, Beyonce, baking- so everyone just assumed I was. They were right of course, but still, I guess I just never stopped to think there may be more people like me who were struggling with being truly themselves like I did.”

Jack kisses the top of Bitty’s head. “It got better, though. For both of us. For Samantha too it seems.”

Bitty, his eyelids heavy with impending sleep, sighs happily and nuzzles into the space beneath his husband’s chin. “It sure did, sugar.”

...

Thursday night, Jack finds himself holding Bitty’s hand idly on top of Samantha’s kitchen table. The couples had just finished eating, the remaining crumbs of Bitty’s quickly devoured lemon-raspberry bars dusting the tabletop as the group happily drank their wine and chatted.

Samantha and her girlfriend, Maritza, are mirroring their position on the opposite side of the table, deep into a discussion over some local scandal of years past. Maritza’s smile is nearly as blinding as her girlfriend’s, Jack thinks, even more so when offset with her caramel skin.

“Lord, you two are a hoot!” Bitty laughs heartily. “I am just dying to hear how y’all met.”

Maritza and Samantha share a quick look, both flushing slightly. “Well, I’m afraid it’s a pretty boring story.” Maritza says, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand. “We matched on tinder, went to this local queer-owned café, and that was that. Been together ever since”

Samantha chuckles, “We dated for the rest of the time we were at UGA and then moved in together here afterwards.”

“That is so sweet. I am so happy for you two, really.” Bitty says. “It's nice to know that people like us get to have happy endings too.”

Jack smiles softly at Bitty and leans over to press a kiss into his golden hair. As he holds his husband’s warm, slightly calloused hand in his own, he can’t help but think back to the tale of the young hockey prince he used to imagine. The story may not have gone how he’d thought it would but the ending is surely sweeter than anything he could have ever dreamt of.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I have been dreaming of writing a return-home-have-an-awkward-run-in-with-a-classmate story for a while now! I hope you guys liked it! Maybe I'll write a high school reunion piece to go along with this one if you guys like it.
> 
> For me, I find myself in this weird situation now where I'm out at college but still mostly closeted at home, much like Bitty was. Reaching out to other queer classmates and friends from home is always eye opening and kind of comforting which is what I hoped to convey in this story. 
> 
> Love you guys and thank you for all the support!


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